The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for actively locking the emission wavelength of a light source, and in particular the wavelength locking of a tunable laser diode for use in wavelength division multiplexed systems.
There are many applications for which an accurate, frequency stabilized laser source is required and accordingly a range of techniques has been developed by which this may be achieved. For example, spectroscopic studies often require an ultra-narrow linewidth source that is frequency stabilized to a tolerance similar to the linewidth. Such stabilization may be achieved by temperature controlled intracavity etalons with appropriate feedback circuitry. However, this approach is expensive and the lasing wavelength is sensitive to changes in the reference etalons.
Modern optical communication networks often employ wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) to increase data capacity. This in turn requires sources which can be locked in sufficiently close proximity to the accepted frequencies specified in the ITU grid for optical telecommunications. For example, the C-band runs from 191.00 THz to 195.90 THz, allowing for 50 channels at 0.10 THz (100 GHz) spacing. In the future, dense WDM (DWDM) systems will use even closer channel spacing (50 GHz or 25 GHz) to increase the number of channels. It is thus imperative that a source is available, on which data can be encoded by modulation, and that will remain locked to the desired ITU grid frequency with sufficient accuracy. Any significant inaccuracy in absolute frequency, including frequency drift, will lead to cross-talk between channels and thereby compromise data integrity.
It is also desirable that a DWDM source can produce an optical output at a plurality of the grid frequencies, either simultaneously or discretely by tuning of the lasing wavelength. FIG. 1 shows a known technique for the wavelength locking of a tunable laser diode (LD). A small optical leakage from the back of the LD is amplitude split into two portions, one portion being immediately sampled by a photodetector (PD2), such as a photodiode, the other portion being sampled by another photodetector (PD1) after passing through an optical filter with well-defined transmission characteristics, which often vary periodically with wavelength. Once the system has been calibrated, the difference in the electrical signals from PD1 and PD2 provides information about the wavelength which can be processed to provide a feedback signal for tuning the LD wavelength. A variety of tuning techniques exist, including the distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) and external grating feedback.
An alternative approach for multiple DWDM carrier frequency generation is based on optical frequency comb generation (OFCG). An optical frequency comb generator (OFCG) produces a stable optical signal with a plurality of equally spaced, discrete frequency components, each component typically being characterized by a linewidth much less than the spacing of the discrete components. Many techniques for comb generation are known, including multiple integrated cavity lasers, spectrum slicing of a supercontinuum source, use of non-linear fibre properties and external cavity resonator with integrated phase modulator. FIG. 2 shows a schematic of a popular type of OFCG, the amplified ring, external cavity OFCG, here using an erbium doped fibre (EDF) ring resonator. This approach has the advantages of accurate centre reference frequency, supplied here by injection from a distributed feedback (DFB) LD, tunable comb separation, achieved via an intra-loop phase modulator whose driving frequency can be controlled, and a single frequency stabilization circuit for all generated channels.
The output of an OFCG can be used directly as a DWDM source, simultaneously providing multiple carrier frequencies. However, the frequencies of the discrete carriers cannot be tuned independently, and as the spectrum of an OFCG is typically non-uniform in amplitude, it often requires re-shaping and amplification. Moreover, the carrier frequencies within the optical signal require demultiplexing before information can be encoded on the individual channels.
As a result, an alternative approach has been to use the output of an OFCG to injection lock one or more tunable LDs, in a master-slave arrangement. This type of source has the benefit of a more broadly tunable source, whilst the lasing wavelength can be locked to the appropriate reference contained within the OFCG spectrum. Furthermore, the carrier frequency generated by the LD can be directly modulated, either intra-cavity or extra-cavity, in order to encode data. Despite these benefits, there are a number of factors which can give rise to device complexity and cost.
Due to the nonuniformity of the comb spectrum, it may be necessary to flatten it by means of an external EDF amplifier (EDFA), in order to ensure more uniform spectral power density when injecting several LDs with different frequencies. Optical coupling between the OFCG and the LD can lead to complexity and losses, and may be further complicated by the need to achieve polarization matching. Optical isolation is required to avoid unwanted feedback to the OFCG. Accurate locking to a single comb frequency may only be ensured if the injection locking bandwidth is smaller than the comb spacing, otherwise unwanted line suppression may be required. Finally, despite the use of injection locking, it is still necessary to have control circuitry for electrical tuning and possibly even a feedback loop for accurate frequency stabilization.
There is, therefore, a requirement for a low cost and effective technique for stabilizing the wavelengths of one or more tunable lasers for use in WDM systems, and particularly for the more dense WDM systems, with closer channel spacing, envisaged for the future.
According to one aspect of the present invention, a wavelength locked tunable laser source comprises:
a tunable laser source;
an optical reference source having a frequency spectrum comprising a first comb of discrete components and a second comb of discrete components, the spacing of the discrete frequency components in the second comb being different to the spacing of the discrete frequency components in the first comb;
an optical mixing device; and,
feedback control circuitry;
wherein a portion of an optical output of the laser source is heterodyned with a portion of an output of the optical reference source at the optical mixing device to produce an electrical signal in dependence on a difference beat frequency of the two optical outputs, the feedback control circuitry being operative to process the electrical signal to provide a feedback signal which is used to tune the optical wavelength of the laser source such that the beat frequency is minimized, thereby, in use, substantially locking the wavelength of the laser source to a wavelength in the frequency spectrum of the optical reference source.
Preferably, the tunable laser source is locked to a frequency component in the first comb.
The use of an optical reference source with an optical spectrum comprising two frequency combs provides an aid to determining the absolute frequency to which the laser has been locked.
Preferably, a component in the second comb and a component in the first comb are at substantially the same frequency, a reference frequency.
Preferably, the reference frequency is the centre frequency in the spectrum of the first comb.
Preferably, the difference between the frequency spacing in the first comb and second comb is less than the frequency spacing in the first comb divided by a multiple of the number of frequency components in the first comb that are of interest. Preferably, the multiple is two, more preferably five and most preferably ten.
Preferably, the amplitude of the frequency components in the second comb is substantially less than the amplitude of the frequency components in the first comb. This allows the lasing frequency to be preferentially locked to a frequency in the first comb.
Therefore, according to the one aspect of the present invention, if the lasing frequency of the tunable laser is first locked by the feedback loop to a frequency in the first comb, the lowest difference beat frequency arising from subsequently heterodyning an optical output of the laser with the optical output of the optical reference source will be due to the laser output beating with the nearest frequency component in the second comb, thereby producing a unique signature frequency that allows determination of the absolute frequency to which the laser has been locked. If this frequency is not the desired frequency, the laser frequency can be coarsely tuned closer to the desired frequency and the above process repeated. The limit on the difference between frequency spacing in the first comb and second comb serves to ensure that the spacing between corresponding frequency components of interest in the first and second combs does not become so large that there is ambiguity as to the correspondence between frequencies in the two combs and also to limit the microwave frequencies resulting from the difference beating to a range that can be handled by the feedback circuitry.
Preferably, the optical reference source is an optical frequency comb generator (OFCG).
Preferably, the OFCG is an amplified ring, external cavity OFCG. This type of OFCG has the advantages of accurate centre reference frequency, tunable comb separation and a single frequency stabilization circuit for all generated channels. However, any OFCG with a suitable optical spectrum could be used.
Preferably, the spacing of said discrete frequency components can be controlled.
Preferably, the widths of the discrete frequency components are substantially less than the spacing of the discrete frequency components.
As the spectrum of the optical reference source contains many discrete frequency components, the lasing frequency of the tunable laser will tend to be locked to the frequency component in the optical reference source spectrum nearest to the unlocked lasing frequency, which may not be the desired frequency component. Therefore, it is preferred that the frequency of the tunable laser is first coarsely tuned to within one half, and more preferably one quarter, of the comb frequency spacing of the desired frequency component prior to activation of the wavelength locking mechanism.
Preferably, the tunable laser source is a tunable laser diode (LD). Examples of a tunable LD include a distributed feedback (DFB) LD, a distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) LD, a sampled grating DBR (SG-DBR) LD and a vertical cavity surface emitting LD (VCSEL) with cantilevered reflector.
Preferably, the optical mixing device for heterodyning the two optical signals and generating an electrical signal therefrom is an optical detector, such as a photodiode.
The portion of optical output from the tunable laser source, to be used for heterodyning, may be derived by sampling the main optical output of the laser. The main output emerges via an output coupler, which is typically termed the front mirror in a Fabry Perot type laser. However, a result of amplitude splitting the main beam, to provide the sample, is a loss of available optical power from the laser device. Fortunately, there is often a much weaker subsidiary optical output from a laser that may be used, such as leakage via the rear reflector in a Fabry Perot type laser.
Preferably, the optical output of the tunable laser source used for heterodyning is derived from a subsidiary optical output of the laser.
As the subsidiary optical output may be weak, it is preferred that the wavelength locked tunable laser source further comprises an optical amplifier to boost the power of the optical signal prior to heterodyning.
Preferably the optical amplifier is a semiconductor optical amplifier.
As the electrical signal, generated in dependence on the optical beat frequency, may be weak, it is preferred that the feedback circuitry comprises a transimpedance amplifier (TIA) to boost the electrical signal strength.
Preferably, the feedback circuitry further comprises a phase-locked loop (PLL).
Preferably, the feedback circuitry further comprises a static frequency divider, to reduce the frequency of the input electrical signal to the PLL.
Preferably, the frequency of the electrical signal is divided by a factor of 1024.
Preferably, the lasing wavelength of the tunable laser is determined by application of an electric current or voltage to a tuning element in the laser, the electric current or voltage being dependent on the feedback signal.
Examples of laser tuning elements include movable reflectors, which may be mounted on cantilevers and whose position may be controlled either piezo-electrically or electrostatically, distributed feedback (DFB) gain regions and various types of distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) regions.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a wavelength locked tunable laser source comprises an optical reference source and a plurality of tunable laser sources, each with an associated optical mixing device and feedback control circuitry, the wavelength of each of the tunable laser sources being substantially locked to a wavelength in the optical spectrum of the optical reference source.
A wavelength locked tunable laser source, in accordance with this aspect of the present invention, can provide a plurality of spatially separated optical signals each at a different, but well defined, optical frequency. Such a source has many uses but, in particular, may be used as an optical source for DWDM systems of the type used in optical communication systems. Each optical signal may correspond to a different communication channel, such as the frequencies defined on the ITU grid, and be modulated to encode information thereon.